what processes cause an earthquake?

Question

What processes cause an earthquake??

Answer 1

Current theory is there's landmasses (tectonic plates) of different shapes that move and change with time. These changes and movements many times are not even and either cause direct collision, or side-shearing. Either way, when it's not even it causes tremors.

EDIT: (From Wiki) "Smaller earthquakes can also be caused by volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear experiments."

Answer 2

Earthquakes occur from the deformation of outer, brittle portions of "tectonic plates", the earth's outermost layer of crust and upper mantle. Due to the heating and cooling of the rock below these plates, the resulting convection causes the adjacently overlying plates to move, and, under great stresses, deform. The rates of plate movements range from about 2 to 12 centimeters per year. Sometimes, tremendous energy can build up within a single, or between neighboring plates. If the accumulated stress exceeds the strength of the rocks making up these brittle zones, the rocks can break suddenly, releasing the stored energy as an earthquake. An earthquake begins when the plates push against earth other and the pressure builds. Cracks start to appear in walls and roads. The ground may shiver (tremor). Where the rocks snap seismic waves (body waves) make the ground move. The first ones ( primary ) travel through rock, volcanic lava, water and even air. They take about 20 minutes to go from one side of the earth to the other. The next waves (secondary) move only through solid rock. Body waves that reach the surface make the ground move like waves on the ocean. These are the most deadly. The quake starts with a violent jolt at the epicenter followed by more tremors. Aftershocks may occur as everything is setting into a new position.

Answer 3

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of stored energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are accordingly measured with a seismometer, commonly known as a seismograph. The magnitude of an earthquake is conventionally reported using the Richter scale or a related Moment scale (with magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes being hard to notice and magnitude 7 causing serious damage over large areas).

At the Earth's surface, earthquakes may manifest themselves by a shaking or displacement of the ground. Sometimes, they cause tsunamis, which may lead to loss of life and destruction of property. An earthquake is caused by tectonic plates getting stuck and putting a strain on the ground. The strain becomes so great that rocks give way by breaking and sliding along fault planes.

Earthquakes may occur naturally or as a result of human activities. Smaller earthquakes can also be caused by volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear experiments. In its most generic sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event—whether a natural phenomenon or an event caused by humans—that generates seismic waves.

An earthquake's point of initial ground rupture is called its focus or hypocenter. The term epicenter means the point at ground level directly above this

Answer 4

Scary as it is, the earth is a ball of hot molten rock, with a thin crust that still isn't even in one piece. Well the segments of this thin crust (tectonic plates) are still floating about on top of this ball of molten rock and in certain places these plates rub up against each other. However because they are millions of tons of rocks, sometimes they snag each other, and an earthquake is when they finally let go of each other, and it's that jolt that is the earthquake.

Answer 5

Apparantly the area covering the North Sea and Lincolnshire is moveing as it probably has done for centuries,,many earthquakes happen in the UK but most can only be detected by instruments set up by the British Geological Society,,

Answer 6

AS TECTONIC PLATES SUBMERGE OR SLIDE ACROSS THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THEY HANG UP AND STRONG FORCES OR PRESSURES BUILD UP WHEN THE FORCE BUILDS TO A POINT WHERE THE POINT OF HANGUP CAN NO LONGER HOLD THE PLATES SHIFT AND RELEASE THE PRESSURE IN THE FORM OF A SEISMIC WAVE OR EARTHQUAKE.

Answer 7

Pressure or release of pressure on tectonic plates that allow the above crust to move or shift up or down.

Answer 8

The movement of tectonic plates

Answer 9

well simply we are on tectonic plates that most of the time are moving very slowly past each other when they get stuck pressure builds up they slip and you get a earth quack

Answer 10

I think it's when tectonic plates... which make up the Earth's crust or something, lol, rub together as they move.